A Dragon for December (Wiccan-Were-Bear Book 11) (11 page)

Deci groaned and doubled over, causing a wave
of her delicious scent to wash over Tosh. He snarled at Donal, and
Donal took two large steps back to put distance between himself and
Deci.

Tosh scrubbed a hand over his face and took
Deci’s hand in his. “I’m sorry. I know you want to help her, but
it’s hard for me to see you near her when she smells as she
does.”

“I understand. There are only two ways to
deal with this, sire. One is to have sex with her until she becomes
pregnant. The breeding drugs I’ve heard of are designed to keep the
female in a high state of arousal until she’s impregnated. I
caution, however, that there is some discussion in the scientific
communities whether creatures such as bear shifters, who are only
naturally fertile twice per year, are at risk of injury or death to
the female or the baby by forcing them to conceive
artificially.”

The idea of Deci carrying his child was
appealing, but not so much that he was willing to risk her life

“The other way?”

“Bring in Dae.”

Dae was a dragon in the nest whose family
line had healing abilities far beyond what Donal could do. He had
once healed a Wiccan who was near death.

Lifting Deci into his arms, Tosh said, “Tell
Dae to meet me in the sky.”

As he strode to the balcony, he kissed Deci
on the forehead. “My dragon, Dae, is going to heal you. I’ll put
you in his arms, and he’ll breathe his power into you. It will heal
what’s been done to you.”

She blinked wide eyes at him, pain and
pleasure twining in her gaze. “I’m scared.”

His heart clenched tightly. “My fierce mate?
I don’t believe it.”

She forced out a chuckle as tears leaked from
her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one
who’s sorry I couldn’t keep you safe. I’ll ensure nothing like this
ever happens to you again.”

He didn’t put her down before shifting.
Instead, he held her close and let his dragon free, his body
bulking as the shift took over.

The sun had set, and the sky was dark. He
lifted into the air and rose above the treetops, heading over the
woods to where their people met during their ceremonies. Tonight he
should have been watching her become his official mate and the
queen of the nest, but instead, he was worrying about her and
trying to keep his dragon from going on a killing rampage.

There was a loud shriek, and Tosh stilled his
flight, hovering over the trees and turning in the air to watch Dae
in his dark red dragon form, flying swiftly toward him. Dae hovered
before Tosh, his eyes blazing and smoke billowing from his
nostrils. His arms extended, and Tosh transferred his mate to Dae’s
arms. She whimpered, and his heart threatened to tear in half. Dae
nodded his head and flapped his wings, soaring upward with Deci. He
disappeared into the dark sky, and Tosh waited, watching in the
darkness as Dae did what he did best – healed the injured.

Gen and Liu joined Tosh above the trees,
hovering with him as Dae worked his brand of dragon magic on Deci.
Tosh was grateful to them for their support.

Above them, Deci screamed in pain, and a ruby
glow shone for a brief moment before there was a shower of red
sparks. Tosh felt the connection to Deci snap into place inside
him. He roared in happiness, knowing that Dae’s healing had fixed
whatever the breeding drug had done to the mating connection
between him and Deci. On either side of him, Gen and Liu lifted
their heads with a joyous roar.

Dae appeared before them, and Deci leaped
through the air into Tosh’s arms. “He fixed me! I can feel my bear
and you,” she said, her voice strong and clear as she hugged her
arms around his neck. Tosh let out a purring trill, and Deci
laughed.

Dae bowed his head, and Tosh returned the
gesture, dismissing the male to rest. Healing the way Dae could
took a tremendous amount of energy. Diving for the woods, Tosh held
tightly to his mate as she squealed in surprise and then laughed as
he ducked expertly underneath the canopy of trees and headed for
the center of the woods to the sacred grove. Behind him, Gen and
Liu followed closely.

Tosh landed in the clearing that was
illuminated with torches. The dirt was covered with flower petals
in preparation for the mating and crowning ceremony, but that
wasn’t why he was there now. Tied up to trees at the edge of the
clearing were Tosh’s uncle, three dragon males, and three humans in
lab coats. His guards stood near them, faces stony as they waited
for Tosh’s instructions.

Deci eased from his grasp and Tosh returned
to his human form.

Dai brought a pair of trousers to Tosh and
said with a low voice, “We found two of the dragon males outside of
the warehouse in a van. We’d scented them inside the spa, so we
know they were part of the kidnapping. Yuon, Ge, and the four
humans were in the room where you locked them up. One of the humans
tried to escape and was killed in the process. There were two wolf
shifters who were heavily drugged. They were from Virginia and
didn’t know how long they’d been in the warehouse.” He looked at
Deci. “They were pretty much out of their minds. We dropped them
off at the supernatural hospital on the way back here so they could
be helped.”

“I know they couldn’t really help themselves.
It doesn’t make what happened any easier to deal with, though. My
mate saved the day, riding in like a knight in shining armor to
rescue me,” Deci said.

Tosh dismissed Dai and turned Deci to face
him. Behind him, he heard Gen and Liu shift into their human forms.
“I want you to go back to the house and rest.”

“What? Why are you sending me home?”

“Because you don’t need to see what happens
next.”

She wrapped her hands around his forearms.
“As the future queen, I should be part of this.”

He opened his mouth to tell her that it was
his job to protect and shield her, but he realized that she was
right. She
was
the future queen, and more than that, she
deserved to see what happened to those who had harmed her.

“As you wish,” he said, kissing her gently.
“Stay with Gen and Liu.”

“Wait, are my guards okay? Where’s Alli?”

“I’m right here, babe,” the angel said,
striding into the clearing with a red-headed female and a vampire.
Tosh knew immediately that it was Brone and his beloved mate
Arissa.

“Your guards were drugged and are with Donal.
They’ll recover,” Gen said.

“Who are your friends?” Deci asked as she
hugged Alli tightly.

“This is the amazing Arissa and her kickass
mate, Brone,” Alli said, beaming with pride.

Tosh joined Deci and shook Brone’s hand. “Why
did Alli bring you?” Tosh asked.

Arissa cleared her throat. “When Alli woke up
from being drugged in the spa and told me what had happened to
Deci, I asked your dragons to send whatever intel they found at the
warehouse to the coven because we’ve got some really amazing
computer geniuses. It turns out that those assholes over there have
been kidnapping shifters and experimenting on them for a while, but
no one ever knew where their location was.”

Brone said, “We will take the humans with us.
They’ll tell
all
they know, or they will suffer
greatly.”

Tosh heard the grumble from his people, who
wanted to hold the humans accountable for what had been done to
Deci. But he knew that if he just killed the humans, there might be
other labs with other shifters held captive and drugged, and they
would never find them.

“I understand. Do you need assistance?”

Brone shook his head as a handful of males
who scented of vampire strode by. One of the vampires stared into
each human’s eyes, causing the humans to slip into a catatonic
state. The humans were untied and carried away by the vampires.

“That was freaking amazing,” Deci
murmured.

Alli grinned. “Some of the vamps have the
power of suggestion. He put them to sleep so they’d be easier to
handle.”

“We’ll take care of them and share whatever
we find out with you. I’m sorry you were kidnapped and drugged, but
I’m thankful you’re safe now,” Arissa said.

Before Deci could answer, a young dragon male
rushed by, calling Arissa’s name and leaping into her arms.

“My lady!” the little boy said, laughing
happily as Arissa swung him in a circle.

“Hello, Sang! How is my fierce warrior?”
Arissa put him down and knelt in front of him.

“Good. Can I visit soon?”

“Of course. Where’s your papa?”

“He’s resting. He healed our future
queen.”

Arissa met Deci’s gaze and smiled. “He’s a
wonderful healer. Did you get a tattoo?”

“Um, no?” Deci said, looking to Tosh in
confusion.

“When Dae healed Arissa, she was near death,
so the healing imprinted a tattoo of a dragon on her back. It made
her a part of our nest in a way that is wholly unique. She became,
in essence, a member of Dae’s family. She was already Sang’s
kore
, which is the person he has vowed to protect with his
life,” Tosh explained.

Arissa hugged Sang tightly and kissed his
cheek. “I’m very lucky to have such a fierce protector.”

“Is there anything you dragons can’t do?”
Deci whispered to Tosh with a smile.

He wanted to tell her that no, there wasn’t
anything he couldn’t do – wouldn’t do for her – but he’d already
failed to keep her safe only days after they’d met. He would never
forget the sense of utter loss when their connection had been
severed.

Arissa kissed Sang on the cheek and he moved
away into the crowd, and then she and Brone said their goodbyes and
left.

Alli hugged Deci briefly and said, “Are you
still going to be queen? What’s happening?”

“We will deal with the traitors according to
our laws, and then Deci and I will be mated and crowned. I’m
abolishing the laws regarding the timing of the coronation,” Tosh
said.

The nest erupted into cheers, and Deci said,
“Where is Jun? She’s my historical encyclopedia.”

“Right here, my lady,” Jun said. The female
had been drugged with a poison that had scarred her badly on her
shoulder where Meiling had used her claws on her. When Jun had
awoken from the effects of the drugs, she’d insisted on being at
the sacred grove to help in any way possible. “Liu and I will help
you get ready for the ceremony after the traitors have been dealt
with.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Alli said, cracking her
knuckles. “Can I kick them in their soft bits for a while? I feel
the need to inflict some pain for being drugged and left naked on a
table.”

Deci covered her mouth, but Tosh could still
hear her laugh. He kissed her and said, “Now, my mate, I’ll show
you how the king handles traitors and usurpers.”

“I’ve got your back, my king.”

Chapter 12

Deci stood next to Tosh as he addressed the
nest. Just behind her stood Alli, Jun, and Liu. She decided there
wasn’t anyone else she’d want more at her back during this time –
when her mate was facing decisions that would alter the nest
forever. Deci felt thankful for Liu, with her hundreds of years of
service to the royal family, and Jun, with her knowledge of all
things related to the nest and its laws, and Alli, who was always
ready to throw down on behalf of her friends.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that
just behind the women were her guards, looking worse for the wear.
They were alive, though, and that’s what mattered. She nodded at
Zhen and Tai, and they returned the gesture; then they looked past
her to where Tosh stood in the center of the clearing.

It bummed her out that the flower petals
strewn over the clearing for their ceremonies had been ruined, but
she was thankful to be alive and to have made it through the
harrowing situation relatively unharmed.

She was glad that the wolves who had been in
the room with her hadn’t raped her, but she knew just how close it
had been. She’d lost almost all the strength to fight them off. If
Tosh hadn’t shown up when he did, she didn’t want to think about
what might have happened and how it would have destroyed her.

Tosh’s voice was clear as he spoke. “There is
no one more precious to a dragon than his truemate. When a truemate
is placed into mortal harm through the designs of another dragon,
those responsible are held to the highest accountability. Bring me
the traitors.”

Deci shivered at the emotionless tone in
Tosh’s voice. Through their connection as mates, she could feel his
steely resolve and the lingering guilt. She knew he harbored guilt
at what had happened to her, but she held no blame toward him.
There wasn’t any way that he, or anyone else, could have known what
Yuon had planned.

The guards brought the four dragons before
Tosh and forced them to their knees. Yuon’s face was harsh with
disgust, but the other three wore expressions of fright and
resignation.

“What have you to say for yourself, Yuon?”
Tosh asked.

Yuon glared at Tosh but said nothing.

Tosh motioned to the nest, and a female
glided forward. She was tall and curvy, with long, dark hair and a
tattoo that wrapped around her throat. She stopped in front of
Tosh, bowed her head, and then turned to Yuon. Her hand shot out,
and she grasped his neck and lowered her head until she was just
inches from Yuon’s face. A golden glow slowly built between the
two, and the tattoo on her neck changed color from black to
blue.

Jun’s voice was a bare whisper as she moved
to stand next to Deci. “That’s Maggie. The power of her family line
is one of mind manipulation. It’s similar to what some vampires can
do. Using her power, she can read the mind of someone, even
long-buried secrets and forgotten memories.”

Yuon’s face contorted, and he seemed to be
struggling against whatever Maggie was doing to him. Her tattoo
turned bright blue as the golden glow became almost blinding, and
when Maggie spoke, her voice sounded haunting and ethereal.